Here’s what we said in the PEZ preview: ‘If the winner doesn’t come from those ten riders, it’ll be a real surprise – but then we’d love Matt Goss or Simon Gerrans to surprise us.’ And it was Australian champion Simon Gerrans (GreenEdge) making our eyes go wide on a sunny Saturday afternoon in beautiful Sanremo, taking his first Monument at the expense of Swiss strong man Fabian Cancellara (Radio Shack) and Tirreno winner Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas.)

Liquigas played a brilliant tactical game but Cancellara’s raw power was their undoing – with Gerrans the best poker player.

Matt Conn was at the newsagent in Udine early to make sure that we had the Gazzetta’s take on the favourites for the 103rd Primavera.

Cavendish is number one; Boonen, Cancellara, Freire and Sagan are second favourites; Boasson-Hagen, Cunego, Greipel, Goss and Nibali are on the third rank with Ballan, Farrar, Modolo, Pozzato and Viviani bringing up the rear.

No mention then of Bennati or Haussler.

‘Buongiorno’ said the email from the race organisers, a little later in morning and went on to inform us:

‘The 103rd edition of Milano-Sanremo is underway after leaving the centre of Milan for the 298km race to Sanremo on the Italian coast.

Before the start, the riders gathered for a minute of silence in remembrance of the Belgian children killed in Switzerland.

A total of 200 riders from 25 different teams left Piazza del Castello in the centre of Milan.

The race is scheduled to finish in Sanremo at 5:15pm.

METEO: The sun was out in Milan with temperatures of 12C.

Similar conditions are expected during the race, with a slight chance of showers in the hills.

At the finish in Sanremo temperatures are forecast to be 15C.

INSIDE INFORMATION: Italian riders have won Milano-Sanremo 50 times, with international riders having won 52 editions.

Australia’s Matt Goss (GreenEdge) won the 2011 edition of Milano-Sanremo.

The lead stretched to around 13/14 minutes before those spoil sports at Sky took to the front of the bunch somewhere around 100 K in – but Sanremo is a long way from Kuurne…

The Turchino Pass, a long drag from the plains to the top of the coastal ridge, then a plunge to the Ligurian Sea – vast, blue and the signal that the ‘real’ race is about to start.

But the break still has nine minutes, although as we say in Scotland, that’ll fade away like, “sna’ aff a dyke,” – that’s “snow of a wall” in English, folks.

‘Livestream’ came to us at 100 K to go – the seven are still away but their lead is below six minutes.

GreenEdge are already active at the head of the peloton and Cav’s well to the fore, tucked in behind Bernie Eisel.

‘Tutto contro Cavendish’ says the Gazzetta headline – ‘All against Cavendish’ – and there’s no doubt it’ll be warp factor five on the Cipressa to try and distance him.

Only four riders have won the Primavera with the rainbow jersey on their back – Binda, Merckx (twice), Gimondi and Saronni; can Cav make it five?

La Manie – the first ‘real’ climb with 95 K to go with Hoogerland, Nibali, Boom, Cancellara all to the fore.

Up front in the break, Michael Morkov looks cool – good TV time for Saxo.

Cav doesn’t!

He’s dropped on La Manie, three Sky are back for him – but it looks all over to me.

Vik phones to remind me of his prediction that Cav’s not going to do it.

Vik’s not a man to say; ‘told you so!’ – not much, that is.

Off La Manie and Radio Shack and Liquigas are taking no chances, they’ve buried Cav at the crossroads but now they’re driving the stake into his heart.

Eisel is with Cav but it looks over.

At 85 K the break is back on the coast road as the peloton still flows down the technical twisting ribbon of tar behind them – the gap is 2:36, it would have been more but for the peloton’s desire to exorcise Cav.

The break is working nicely, two have gone but the seven survivors are neat, tidy and doing their job.

The gap is slipping for the break though as BMC and QuickStep become prominent at the front of the peloton with 72 K still to ride.

There are still 70 K to go at the feed, 230 K behind them, the full distance of many races.

And Cav’s made it back into a big chasing group – if I was Eisel’s agent, I’d be seeking a pay rise.

But those watts Cav just burned were the ones for the Cipressa and Poggio and he’s still not in the ‘race proper.’

Gilbert comes to the front at 61 K and asks his men why they’re chasing so hard – he’s thinking that Cav will crack again on the Cipressa, so why burn all the candles?

Big Stijn Vandenbergh comes through for QuickStep as the break succumbs inside 60 to go; but Oleg Berdos persists briefly for some more of that valuable TV time.

Behind, Sky chase like demons at around the half minute mark – but Cav will surely blow again on the Capi, if not, then on the Cipressa?

Laigueglia – and the Ligurian laps onto the beaches, it’s seen it all before.

The helicopter shot shows the gap back to the Cav group, 44 seconds – it’s unlikely they’ll get back before the Capi.